|
Stranded at the Chicago O'Haire Airport, ad man Buddy Amaral (Ben Affleck, Reindeer Games
) gives his plane ticket to playwright Greg Janello (Tony Goldwyn) on impulse when casual acquaintance Mimi (Natasha Henstridge) suggests they spend the night together.
The flight crashes and everyone aboard dies. Buddy feels responsible for Greg's death, goes into depression and after a year in rehab, faces the world. He seeks out Greg's
widow Abby (Gwyneth Patrow, Duets, Shakespeare in Love) who works as a real estate agent. Instead of making his confession and offering his help as he intended, Buddy
pretends to be a client and arranges things to make her get a good deal. He attracts Abby and finds himself falling in love with her and her two kids.
Academy-award-winners Affleck and Paltrow both give credible performances as an unusual couple
in Bounce. Don Roos' screenplay is intelligent and the dialogue, witty and above the ordinary (e.g. the bantering of Buddy and his gay assistant (Johnny Galecki).
Although not innovative, the cinematography is good, and the musical score just sentimental enough to effectively move the viewers.
Bounce deals
with the painful and confusing feelings one has when a loved one dies. It reveals the guilt of those left behind and the necessity of coming to terms with their own struggles
and "what ifs" in order to bounce back fully to life. It also shows the value of honesty, courage, forgiveness and sacrifice. The film could have been morally acceptable if
not for the open acceptance of casual and premarital sex which were implied. For the said the reason, CINEMA rates the film for viewers 14 years old and above.
(Date Reviewed: February 9, 2001)
|
